#I don't remember having any wesley opinions as a kid

[starberry-cupcake]

I'm not posting a lot of tng as I watch it but this took me tf out

[therealriver1]

Getting Back Into Writing...

I know I've been gone a while, but I don't plan on making any grand speech or introductions. I've considered closing this account multiple times since I don't know if anyone still reads my content or uses this platform. Nonetheless it's 2024 and I'm still here.

I started blogging on Tumblr as a hobby and because I really enjoyed writing. I still love writing! Writing on here acted as a journal for me, something that I could use to look back on years from now. Since I started writing with the intention of doing it for myself, I will continue to do so. I am glad to be back and will try my best to stay consistent. At the same time, I also don't want to force myself to write just for writings' sake. Instead, I'll write when I feel most inspired.

I had this idea of doing a "movie watchlist" based on my opinion of course. I wanted this list to be here for me in the future so I could see if my taste in movies has changed, matured or anything at all. Over the years I've watched a bunch of movies that I've enjoyed for different reasons. Movies were one good source of entertainment for me and my family growing up and brought me lots of fond memories. I remember being so excited to go to the video shop and pick out some of my favorites to rent and then going back home & watching it with my family. Dad and I would go to the video store and browse, sometimes taking longer than expected. I'd spend time looking at the covers reading the synopsis on the back before choosing anything. I was so proud when I picked something decent that everyone liked, I'd brag and say I had good taste! Those were the simple times when life was easy.

I digress, getting back to this list of mine. Let's just call it "Rivers' ultimate watchlist" for now. Like I said before this will be a random list of movies in no particular order from horror, comedy, romance, adventure, sci-fi and everything else in between. You might not know all of these movies or even like them but if you do find yourself bored and wondering what to watch, give it a try. I am sure you will find at least one good gem worth your time! I think I might do the same list for anime, kdrama, tv series and animated films later on and possibly update this movie list and add more titles.

Here's the list: ⦁ Harry Potter 2001 1-7 (The first four movies were among my faves) ⦁ Thirteen Ghosts 2001 (I don't know why but I've always liked this one) ⦁ Darkness Falls 2003 (A horror movie about the tooth fairy. This one will scare your kids.) ⦁ The Exorcist 1973 (The first one is still the scariest of all time. I also liked Exorcist: The Beginning but these are flicks I don't want to watch repeatedly or at night.) ⦁ Resident Evil 2002 (Yes, I know it's a video game adaptation and not everyone likes it. The very first one is a classic. I've also seen all the other movies in the franchise multiple times mostly because I like zombie action and Milla Jovovich) ⦁ Without a Paddle 2004 (A great comedy full of laughs. Definitely a fun watch in my opinion) ⦁ Euro Trip 2004 ("Scotty doesn't know!" "This isn't where I parked my car". I still remember the lyrics to the song. This one is a bit raunchy but in a good way if that makes sense.) ⦁ Me, Myself and Irene 2000 (Jim Carrey is great and so is Renée Zellweger. I really liked this one. Watch with an open mind) ⦁ Alien 1979 by Ridley Scott (I can't believe some people still haven't seen this. I love aliens and this one is a certified classic. You just have to see it for yourself. I've seen all the movies in the franchise and I'm still a fan after all these years. I'd happily rewatch any time.) ⦁ Blade 1988 1-3 (Ah vampires what can I say, I do love my supernatural movies! I think Wesley Snipes totally embodied Blade and was perfect for the role. I only recently found out that there's an animated version which features more of the lore from the comic books. The action in this movie is too good to pass on. In fact, my mom loved it so much she named our dog Blade) ⦁ Terminator 1984 (The second one is my favorite out of all the Terminator films, but I still enjoyed watching the others. There's just something about man versus machine that keeps you glued to your screen, that and Arnold Swarzenegger. ⦁ Zathura : A Space Adventure 2005 (I loved it! It's a kids movie but it's still a good) ⦁ Predator 1987 (Tying into the whole Alien vs Predator universe I naturally had to watch this. Prey is the most recently released movie in the franchise, do not skip this one!) ⦁ RV 2006 (Robin Williams is so funny, great family movie to watch together on movie night! ⦁ Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 2004 (Some might say it's depressing, but the cast are brilliant actors and I thought it was a very clever film.) ⦁ Serenity 2005 (I didn't even know there was a show called Firefly linked to this movie. I only found out years later) ⦁ Pan's Labyrinth 2005 (Dark, twisted and brilliant but definitely not meant for everyone! This is a Spanish movie by Guillermo del Toro and still one of my faves. Please watch it with subtitles and not in dub. Also see Pacific Rim from the same director if you haven't watched it yet) ⦁ Jurassic Park 1993 1-3 (What can I say, I love dinos! The original will always be my favorite.) ⦁ Because of Winn Dixie 2005 (Great family film. Wholesome and heartwarming) ⦁ Dreamcatcher 2003 (This movie freaked me out as a kid, especially the toilet scene. I also heard there's a book so I might have to read it eventually) ⦁ Apocalypto 2006 (A really great film by Mel Gibson. If you can handle brutality, give it a try. It's definitely not for the faint of heart) ⦁ The Descent 2005 (If you're claustrophobic this movie will be your worst nightmare) ⦁ A Sound of Thunder 2005 (When I was young, I thought this movie had a really interesting concept.) ⦁ The Cave 2005 (It's similar to The Descent. It has that element of fear, the unknown and of course a mysterious creature) ⦁ Wonder 2017 (A really beautiful film with a great message) ⦁ Billie Elliot 2000 (The ending was so great! And I love the soundtrack because of Elton John. My favorite song from the movie was "electricity".)

(P.S I will be posting this in two parts because this was way longer than I expected!!)

[hamliet]

I think I remember that you didn't like the Angel series so I wanted to ask you why do you think this show was badly written ?

Hoo boy.

Um. Well. It wasn't that they didn't have the right ingredients to make the show excellent; it was that they had no idea what to do with them and were unable to commit to any one idea with successful execution.

To start with, there were good elements to the show. The characters--Gunn, Wesley, Fred, Cordie, Angel, even more minor characters like Lindsay and Lilah--were compelling. Darla's arc was successfully executed, and probably the best piece of writing in the whole show. Connor was great in theory. Faith's cameos were always a highlight.

The problem is that the show is a spin-off, right? It's normal for a spin-off to flounder a bit as it tries to establish itself as its own thing while still appealing to fans of the original. Seasons 1 and 2 were not bad. Things just went off the rails starting in season 3 and continued towards a trainwreck that got successively worse. Unpopular opinion, but the highly misogynistic season 4 was better written than season 5, because at least it had an idea of what it wanted to do even if what it wanted to do was all kinds of yikes.

What was always the appeal about Buffy was the characters and their dynamics. Angel, too, established itself as a wildly interesting and compelling show when it focused on the characters and their dynamics, when it dug into what the characters wanted and how this both helped them grow and impeded them. (Again, think Darla, and also Cordelia/Angel's romance, which was lovely, and Connor's conflict with his father).

But it came across like the show writers kept panicking that Angel was too much like Buffy, and thus kept inventing dramas to keep the characters from spending significant time together. This gave it a rather cynical feel to it, as if it was snottily looking down on what worked in Buffy (which was further emphasized with season 5, which took place after the conclusion of Buffy). For example, even without the horrific subtext to the decimation of Cordelia's character in season 4, the show was committed to taking apart what worked in Buffy. Like, the actual original plan for Cordie--for Angel to have to kill her--is anti everything Buffy stood for about love mattering. (Yes, there is a way to pull this off, but the writers have given 0 indication they could or would pull this off in any interesting or impactful thematic sense.)

The writers just didn't have long-term goals of development for each character, not even from season to season. Even for their supposed plan for Cordie, for Angel, it is like--okay, so what? What does having Cordie turn into the villain do for her character? What does having to kill her do for Angel--have him identify with what Buffy went through, okay, but why does this matter since the Buffy show is already over? If there's no end goal for that suffering, then it's not very interesting.

Yes, I know "suffering just happens" is cynical realism. It can be deep, but Angel's writers aren't Samuel Beckett. Plus, Angel and Buffy were never about realism in this sense. They were about humanity, and with humanity comes hope. The striving is awful, painful, but keep going. Angel essentially removed any value to keeping going.

If they wanted to actually unpack what worked in Buffy, that could work, but the problem was that they had nothing to offer in its stead. Hence, it was shallow at best and offensive (see: the episode about a demon scared of a kid just born evil) at worst.

Apologies, this is kind of a disjointed rant. But yeah. Angel is missed potential for me. I don't actually dislike it entirely--I like a lot of aspects of it--but the disappointment is its final legacy for me.

[onemuseleft]

How about Star Trek? The one with Picard, cause I don't think I've ever seen you have an opinion about it

favorite male character: Geordi! I was madly in love with him when I was a kid and would tape episodes he was in so I could rewatch them. Him and Data as besties was a high point for me and any episode where they interacted was my favorite.

favorite female character: Beverly Crusher. She was a badass and sometimes told people to sit down and shut up which young me found DELIGHTFUL. As an adult I have a lot more appreciation for Keiko O'Brien who really tolerated a whole hell of a lot there.

least favorite character: I don't DISLIKE Deanna Troi but I also never really cared about her very much? Young me would get aggravated everytime her relationship with Will came up.

prettiest character: I think it's unfair that I have to pick. Will. Will was the pretty one.

funniest character: Worf. I stand by it. It wasn't intentional but by GOD that man could play the straight man to a whole bunch of fools.

favorite season: I am going to say season six. I couldn't tell you a single episode from season six, but I'm gonna say it anyway.

favorite episode: The first Q episode, where he shows them the Borg for the first time, has massive impending doom vibes. And then the episode where they show up, (I, Borg?) and the battle of Wolf 359. I remember crying over that, the desperate last stand, the doomed ships. I like t he one where Lore kidnaps Geordi! And the one where Geordi and Ro Laren get turned immaterial. OH! The one where Picard gets turned into a 12 year old and he's just So Done With It.

favorite romantic ship: I literally hated all the episodes about romance. I guess Miles and Keiko?

favorite family ship: Miles and Keiko? Beverly was a good mom but her kid was Wesley who I detested.

favorite friend ship: Geordi and Data! I also liked it when the humans forced Worf to socialize with them.

worst ship: I did not care for Deanna and Worf.

[salvatoreschool]

'Legacies': Alexis Denisof on Professor Vardemus' True Intentions and Taking Josie Under His Wing (Exclusive)

There's a new headmaster in town and his name is Professor Vardemus.

Legacies' second episode of season two, titled "This Year Will Be Different," introduced fans to a handful of new and exciting characters, one of them being Alexis Denisof's stern and confident warlock. Taking over the reins as headmaster at the Salvatore School after Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) was voted out, Vardemus is sure to stir things up.

ET caught up with the former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel actor to discuss how Vardemus will change the school, affect the students, and what his real intentions are. There's definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to the British supernatural being, and we'll have to keep a close watch on him.

ET: Who decided to make Vardemus the school's new headmaster? Was it Caroline (Candice King) who chose?

Alexis Denisof: It was a decision that was made directly between Caroline and Alaric, but Caroline had the actual information and the actual interaction that brought Vardemus to Salvatore. Alaric trusted [Caroline in] that [he] was the person for the job. Vardemus brings his particular qualifications and experience that are well known in the alternate realities of the supernatural world. That was why he was approached for this and, of course, he turns out to not be everything that he appears. It's unknown whether this plan is going to work out or not.

How much will Vardemus change Alaric’s rules?

Oh, considerably! He comes in with a very different perspective on the supernatural world in general and he and Alaric do not agree on that, nor do they like each other very much from the outset. So he is going to open up a lot of what hasn't been opened up previously for the students at Salvatore.

He's really supportive of the student's powers and abilities. How will that affect the way the students learn about themselves and their studies?

Yes, he definitely has a strong opinion on that. For him, the kids are special and their supernatural powers are not to be hidden or apologized for. On the contrary, he believes that for them to be fully-realized individuals and to fully understand their power, they have to investigate it completely, both light and dark. And that the more understanding they have of their entire capacity, the more able they will be to manage their powers and the more effective they will be in the world. In his view, ultimately, the world will be one that operates on the laws of the supernatural, not the laws of humans. That's ultimately what he sees as the future.

How could his methods potentially disrupt the lives of the Salvatore students?

For them, that's a shocking new view of themselves. That's a shift in identity that they haven't been permitted. Many of them have come from really difficult childhoods because of their powers and their families have sent them to this school where they want them hidden away, preferably drain them of these powers if possible, but if not, to keep them out of anyone's eyesight. But to be told that they have value and to be told that their powers are not only important for them, but are important for the world, is a really different perspective on themselves. For many of them, that can be exciting.

Will Vardemus' ideas and methods backfire with some students?

It will backfire, for sure. For one thing, they won't all agree with him and they will take that disagreement amongst themselves and it will affect their relationships with each other. And secondly, it will directly backfire as they explore the different aspects of their powers with that full knowledge and full capability and protection that can also be damaging to themselves and others. So for sure, his tactics are not without consequences.

Is there more to Vardemus than meets the eye? Is he up to something?

Absolutely! You know, Julie Plec and Brett Matthews work well enough to know that there is no way that he is entirely what he seems. He has several layers of mystery about him, beyond what becomes an obvious one when you meet him right away. There will be more levels of that as we go. It's hard to say what his true motives are once you get to know him.

Will we explore more of his background and where he came from in this season?

It's a little early to say. For the meantime, we only experience him in the Salvatore School. But clearly, you can see from his behavior and his attitude and the way he dresses and the way he talks that he comes from an entirely other world of the supernatural that clearly has different ways of behaving and he brings all of that with him.

I have to say, when you first meet Vardemus, he's kind of giving me Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes. Are there any similarities between the two characters?

[Laughs] Yeah, I can understand the comparisons. Obviously there's the confluence of genres, they are both supernatural, vampire-related, Mystic Falls, Sunnydale, Hellmouth. I can see those nods to each other. As far as the characters, while Wesley and Vardemus are both British and they both attempt a certain status, I think there is a profound difference in that Vardemus has a really, deep-rooted confidence in himself that Wesley did not have. Wesley was attempting a confidence that he clearly didn't possess, but Vardemus actually has it.

Of course, you also have to remember that Wesley was, throughout the entirety of his character, human and never deviated from that. He was only ever human with no extra powers than his ability to use logic, and Vardemus is quite different because he has a host of supernatural powers at his disposal.

Will we see Vardemus fight or tackle any of the monsters?

It's really fun to see when Vardemus uses his powers and how they manifest. You will see them from time to time throughout the show and sometimes they are used towards his own ends and sometimes you wonder what they are being used for.

At the end of the episode, we see him telling Josie (Kaylee Bryant) that she is very powerful and invites her to an exclusive advanced class. Will we be seeing him and Josie's relationship blossom or will they butt heads since she is Alaric's daughter?

That scene is the beginning of what will be a growing relationship between Vardemus and Josie and that will cause tension between Josie and Alaric. And Vardemus will introduce Josie to areas of herself and of her supernatural abilities that have previously been locked off for her, and there will be some unforeseen consequences of that.

Will he somehow influence her to go to the dark side or just embrace her power?

That's the challenge that is put before her. What happens when you open up this Pandora's box, as it were. It doesn't always go the way that you think it will. In a sense, it's true to life, isn't it?

And lastly, does Vardemus have any clear preferences of one type of supernatural being over another?

I don't know that I can officially make that decision. At the moment, I would say no. No preference. I think he has more experience with witches and wizardry, but I don't think that he does. I would say, at the moment, he doesn't hold one supernatural being over the other. For him, it's more holding supernatural beings above humans.

Legacies airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.